The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 522: “For Example, I Want to Devour You.”

At the edge of the Elven Homeland, near the barrier.

The hot spring Shien used yesterday was still steaming, magic power rising from it.

Unicorns drank from the spring, and other docile monsters gathered, absorbing the magic power.

If this were outside, monsters would fight fiercely for this magic power source, the victor claiming the spoils.

But here, the monsters didn’t interfere with each other, coexisting peacefully and sharing the magic power source. Everything seemed so peaceful, warm, and tranquil.

This place was like a paradise.

The Elven Homeland was truly a dreamlike place, filled with incredible sights rarely seen in the outside world.

Until a certain moment, the peace here was broken.

“Swish!”

With a whooshing sound, Shien, carrying Melika, flickered like an afterimage and landed before the hot spring.

“Whoosh!”

The monsters here were startled. Some, timid, scattered in all directions. Others, bolder, watched curiously, seemingly not wary of these sudden intruders.

Shien ignored the monsters and put Melika down.

“We should be safe here, right?”

Shien muttered, unsure if he was talking to Melika or himself, then exhaled.

“Where… where is this?”

Melika, holding her staff, stood there, blushing, relieved to be out of Shien’s arms, yet also a bit regretful and reluctant. Then, captivated by the scenery, she looked at the surrounding monsters and the hot spring-like magic power source, her eyes widening in surprise.

“What? You don’t know this place?”

Shien looked at Melika and smiled.

“No, I don’t.” Melika shook her head, looking around curiously. “I didn’t know there was such a place in the Elven Homeland, or that there was a magic power source here. But why is this magic power source hot?”

It seemed Melika hadn’t realized that this magic power source was also a hot spring.

Others, like Shien, upon seeing this, would first recognize it as a hot spring, then realize it was a magic power source, and be amazed.

But Melika, being an elf, first sensed the natural magic power and realized it was a magic power source, neglecting the fact that it had transformed into a hot spring.

As for Melika not knowing about this place, that was even easier to understand.

“According to a certain vice-commander, only the Elven Queen and her two legendary confidantes know about this place. The other elves don’t.”

Shien explained.

“Really?”

Melika nodded vaguely, seemingly not realizing that this was the Queen’s private bath. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so calm.

“We should be safe from pursuit here, right?” Shien said, then couldn’t help but complain, “Melika, your childhood friend is really crazy, unleashing such large-scale, destructive magic in the village. Isn’t she afraid of harming the villagers?”

“Th-that…” Melika seemed to just realize this and quickly said, “J-Jenom is just a little impulsive. She’s not usually like this!”

This kind elf girl was speaking up for someone else again.

“Fine, it’s not my village, so I don’t care.” Shien rolled his eyes. “But it’s clear that she cares about you a lot.”

“Yes…” Melika said, a bit embarrassed, but also frankly. “We’ve always had a good relationship, never separated except for these past two years, truly inseparable. Before I learned magic, it was Jenom who always protected and took care of me.”

“Oh?” Shien raised an eyebrow, curious. “Since childhood?”

“Yes.” Melika nodded firmly, recalling the past with nostalgia. “Because I’ve always been nervous since I was young, even seeing my own kind sometimes made me stutter and speechless. It was Jenom who always accompanied me, running around the village and talking to everyone, that I was able to fit in and be accepted.”

It seemed that Melika and Jenom’s roles were that of a clumsy and shy younger sister and a bold and impulsive older sister.

“Perhaps I’m just useless. Since I was young, I’ve always encountered unfortunate things, like losing control of my magic while learning and accidentally burning down a glowing tree, or angering the monsters in the village and being bullied by them.”

Melika recounted her past.

“Whenever I encountered trouble, it was Jenom who helped me, protected me, and took care of me, like my family.”

If that was the case, it was understandable why Jenom was so sensitive and worried about Melika.

“In her eyes, you’re still the Melika who needs her protection, so she’s wary of everything happening around you, and if anything happens, she’ll immediately take action, right?”

Shien understood.

Melika, however, gripped her staff with a determined look.

“But I can’t always be protected by Jenom, living under her wing.” Melika said firmly, “Therefore, I wanted to leave the village, travel, become stronger, and prove to Jenom that I can stand on my own.”

Perhaps this was the real reason why Melika wanted to leave the village and travel.

Always living under Jenom’s protection, even Melika felt bad, feeling that she shouldn’t be so dependent on her childhood friend, and finally decided to leave the village and seek improvement through a different path.

From Melika’s words, Shien could somewhat understand her feelings for Jenom and their past relationship.

“I didn’t expect you to have such determination. Vivian and I underestimated you.”

Shien said with emotion.

In the past, the members of Vivian’s squad hadn’t known why Melika left the Elven Homeland to travel, or what her goals were.

They only thought that Melika simply wanted to travel and improve herself, completely unaware that for the Elven Race, traveling wasn’t necessary.

Only after coming to the Elven Homeland did Shien learn that Melika’s travels weren’t just because she was dissatisfied with her own growth rate, but also because of this hidden reason.

Therefore, Shien was quite moved.

“N-no, it’s nothing like that!” Melika quickly waved her hands. “It’s not a big deal, even a bit embarrassing. I’ve never told anyone before.”

Speaking of this, Melika’s voice became a bit dejected.

“Moreover, I haven’t achieved my goal yet. Not only did I make Jenom worry about me even more, but I’m also far from being able to stand on my own. If it weren’t for Mr. Shien and everyone in Vivian’s squad taking care of me, I don’t know what I would have become…”

Melika was a bit depressed.

Recalling what had happened to her in the past two years, it was understandable why Melika felt this way.

After leaving the village, Melika had the help of her fellow elves in Larmigion and the protection of Vivian and the others, preventing her from being harmed by men with malicious intentions, safely adventuring until now.

After arriving in the capital, Melika was also taken care of by Shien, not only living in his mansion for free, but also receiving his help during incidents like those with Magray and Edel.

Looking back, Melika realized that she had never truly been independent, always being protected and cared for.

This sometimes made Melika feel lucky, and sometimes useless, making her feel down and depressed.

“For this Peace Festival, I originally wanted to invite everyone and repay them for their care, but Vivian and the others couldn’t come, and Mr. Shien was almost turned away because of unfair treatment. I’m really useless…”

As she spoke, Melika couldn’t help but feel self-reproach, guilt, and sadness.

Seeing Melika like this, Shien scratched his head, feeling helpless.

Suddenly, Shien smiled.

“You’re wrong, Melika.” Shien said, “Although we’ve been helping you, we also have our own reasons.”

“Reasons?” Melika was stunned.

“That’s right.” Shien said nonchalantly, “Like Vivian and the others, they definitely wanted an excellent magician to join their squad and provide support. They protected you not only because you’re a teammate, but also because you have value.”

This was the truth.

If Melika wasn’t an elf, an excellent magician, Vivian and the others might have still helped her, but definitely not to the extent of inviting her into their squad and helping her all the time.

“I’m the same.” Shien looked directly at Melika and said meaningfully, “Actually, I’m not a good person. I also have my own motives.”

“Motives?” Melika blinked.

“Yes.” Shien grinned.

A wicked grin.

“For example, I want to devour you.”